[40.07] The Structure of Shells Around Classical Novae

J. J. Johnson, D. M. Leeber, T. E. Harrison (NMSU)

We trace the changing shape of a nova shell using
high-resolution spectra obtained at the Apache Point
Observatory 3.5 meter telescope. We compare the structures
evident in different atomic species and show how different
excitation conditions exist in different areas of the shell.
We will discuss the consequences of this result for the
modeling of abundances of classical novae using codes such
as CLOUDY, etc. This work is supported by NSF award number
AST-9806114.